Night of the Final Day
by Crystal Rose of Pollux
Summary: Ultimate era, immediately pre-World of Light. The night before that fateful day, Luigi sees an Absol by the cliffside and learns that the creature is trying to warn him, his brother, and friends of an impending disaster of unimaginable scope. As if dealing with their own fears wasn't enough, it's a rude awakening to learn that they may very well be living on borrowed time...


_Notes: So, yes. World of Light. I did say that if there did end up being an Adventure Mode, I would be inspired to write a sequel to my "The Devil's in the Details" fic—and I will; once the game comes out and I have a change to experience World of Light for myself, I will definitely be writing one (I'm in the planning phase now). In the meantime, here is a oneshot to set things up, meant to take place the night before the events of the WoL trailer. There are references to "The Devil's in the Details," but this can be read independently of it_.

* * *

The first round of the new tournament had gone exceptionally well—especially when one considered all that had happened before it had even started—Ridley's brutal attack on Mega Man and Mario, K. Rool's attack on Dedede, Luigi's unfortunate out-of-body experience in Dracula's Castle…

Just the memory of it made Luigi shudder—though when it came to the safety of his brother and his friends, he was far less concerned about himself. Ganondorf's presence still unnerved him; though Mewtwo had assured him that the Gerudo King would remember nothing of his orchestrating the events that led to both Mario's temporary demise and his, Luigi couldn't help but feel like an anxious wreck. Of course, that was Condition Normal for him—sometimes, he even wondered why Master Hand had invited him to the first tournament all those years ago, and why he'd kept inviting him back.

Still, here he was. And, he supposed, Mario was feeling rather anxious this time around, as well—not because of being attacked to the point of death by Ridley (Mario had bounced back from that like it had been nothing—something that had slightly exasperated Luigi and Peach), but because of what had happened in Dracula's Castle. It had been the first time Mario hadn't been able to protect him—the first time he had ever failed in the duty of care that he had assigned to himself since their earliest days, and he had taken it very hard.

Despite that, Mario was still determined to win the tournament; Mario's match against Incineroar had been the action-packed opening match that everyone had been waiting for—fire brawler versus fire brawler. There had been a frightening moment for Luigi as a spectator when Incineroar had gotten Max Malicious Moonsault off on Mario, but, to everyone's surprise, Mario had tanked the Final Smash without getting knocked out, and countered back with his own Mario Finale to end the match.

Luigi's own first match had gone well for him, as well, though it had been incredibly anticlimactic compared to Mario's victory; Luigi had been facing off against Olimar on the Midgar arena, and Olimar had misjudged his jumping abilities after using a Metal Box on himself. His now-heavier weight had caused him to plummet upon being unable to clear the distance after Odin had split the arena floor, causing Luigi to win by a technicality. It certainly wasn't Luigi's preferred way of winning, but a victory was still a victory, and he was willing to take it.

Their friends had done well, too—Peach, Daisy, Yoshi, Pit, Zelda, Link, Dedede, and Ness had all won their matches that day. It was far from over, of course; there were more matches to be held the next day, but for now, the successful day had given way to an evening of festivities, as usually occurred when the tournaments were going well and according to plan—which was not always a guarantee. The younger fighters were having a dance party, organized by Isabelle and K. K. Slider, while the older fighters were doing their own things—several of them were enjoying a small party of their own at a new nightclub that Snake and Bayonetta had lobbied Master Hand for—Pauline and her New Donk City musicians were providing the entertainment there.

But not everyone was cutting loose at the nightclub; Ganondorf, ever the misanthrope, wanted nothing to do with the other fighters on a social level (which was just as well, as the brothers wanted nothing to do with him, either). Wario opted to spend time with Waluigi in the Assist Suites, separate from the mansion where the fighters stayed. Dedede was keeping an eye on K. Rool, while Mewtwo meditated on his own. Little Mac, too old for the youngsters' party and too young for the nightclub, was "opting" (in reality, goaded into it by Doc Louis) for some evening training, and Doc had managed to rope Luigi into sparring a few rounds with Little Mac to help him prepare for tomorrow's matches.

Luigi good-naturedly went a few practice rounds with him before taking his leave; he wanted to get back to his brother and his friends. Still, the night was young—Luigi decided to take the scenic route back from the training hall, past the cliffside.

He liked the cliffside, the site where the crew had celebrated their victory over Tabuu during the Brawl tournament; the view over the water was fantastic, and the sky, no longer scarred by the destruction of the Isle of the Ancients, was clear and studded with stars on a night like this.

He stopped for a few minutes to enjoy the view, but then his heart skipped a beat as he heard a rustling sound behind him. He whirled around in an attack pose, and then gasped as he came face-to-face with a creature he had never seen before.

It looked something halfway between a cat and a dog—it had long, white fur that covered dark skin—skin that was visible on his face and curved tail. A long, curved horn emerged from the side of its head.

"Uh… Hello?" Luigi offered, stammering slightly. What _was_ this thing!? …And why was it looking at him with such a sad expression?

"Absol," it said, in a deep voice. It gave him a sorrowful look and then walked past Luigi, right to the edge of the cliff. It stared out into the sky, and repeated the word, louder, as though it was crying out. " _Absol_!"

"Are… Are you a Pokémon?" Luigi asked, arching an eyebrow. That had to be it—it was saying its name!

And then, to Luigi's utter astonishment, the thing began to _cry_. Even as Luigi looked on, thick tears fell from its eyes.

"Uh… hey, it's okay," Luigi said, trying to reassure the creature. "Don't cry! Whatever's wrong, I'm sure it'll be okay!"

But the creature looked back at him, shook its head, and resumed staring out over the cliff, still crying.

"Um… hang on, I'm gonna go talk to some Pokémon trainers; they might be able to help…"

Luigi backed away, keeping his eyes on the crying creature until he finally turned and ran, heading for the younger fighters' dance party. He found Red and Leaf at the buffet table with their Pokémon.

"There you are!" he exclaimed.

"Is everything alright?" Leaf asked, seeing that he seemed upset about something.

"I, um… I guess, but I think I saw a Pokémon over by the cliffside—and something's wrong with it," Luigi said. "It was crying, and I couldn't understand what it's upset about. Maybe you could figure it out?"

"We can try," Red offered. "Do you know what Pokémon it was?"

"Um, well, if it was saying its name, then I think its name is Absol…" Luigi trailed off as Red and Leaf exchanged somber glances. "…Uh-oh, I don't like the looks on your faces. Is it dangerous?"

"Not… exactly," Leaf said. "Absol has had a bad reputation over the years—one that it doesn't deserve."

"People have come to see it as a harbinger of doom," Red explained. "Or that it's the cause of disasters—that's why it's called the Disaster Pokémon."

Luigi gulped.

"But those are all just stories, right?" he asked.

"…Sort of," Leaf said. "That big, curved horn on its head allows Absol to sense when disaster is coming, and that's when it seeks out people—to warn them. It's trying to deliver a warning, but people saw it as an omen instead."

"Oh, no…" Luigi groaned.

"And you said the Absol was crying?" Red asked.

"Uh-huh," Luigi sighed. "Whatever disaster it sensed must be a doozy. How long before a disaster does it show up? And what could the disaster be?"

"There's no way of knowing unless we can talk to the Absol," Red said. "I'll find Mewtwo and head to the cliff; Mewtwo can translate what the Absol wants to say."

"I'll go with you," Leaf said. She turned to Luigi. "You should probably warn the others to be on the alert; after Red and I find Mewtwo, we'll break the news to the rest of the kids here."

"Right," Luigi nodded, and he left the party. As he left, he passed by Bowser, who had just picked up Junior from the party—who wasn't too happy about it.

"But Papaaaaaaa!" he whined. "How come I gotta go to bed now when the Koopalings don't?"

"Because they're older than you," Bowser explained, as he carried him back towards the mansion. "In a few hours, I'll corral them, too." He paused, a brief look of dread crossing his face—the kind of dread that only a father faced with the challenge of trying to get control of a pack of teenagers could comprehend.

As Luigi looked on, he realized that, for all their differences, there was one thing that he and Bowser had in common—they both knew the importance of family.

"Bowser…?" Luigi now asked.

The Koopa King glanced at his most-of-the-time foe with an arched eyebrow.

"What do you want, Green 'Stache?"

Even in a temporary truce, it was hard not to be intimidated by the giant turtle, but Luigi stood firm.

"I just wanted to tell you to keep an eye out—for yourself, and them."

He indicated Junior, and Bowser frowned.

"You know something I don't?" he asked.

"I… I don't know," Luigi admitted. "I mean, I think I know something but… I don't know what I know."

Bowser rolled his eyes and let out an exasperated snort.

"Somehow, I'm not surprised," he began, but then he paused. He, too, recognized that he and Luigi both held their families as the most important thing. "Junior, how about I tell you a bedtime story?"

This seemed to cheer the young turtle up; up until that moment, he had been confused and concerned by the exchange between his father and Luigi. As young as he was, he was smart enough to know that if one of the Mario Bros was trying to warn his dad of something, then there was something to be worried about.

Bowser continued his trek back to the mansion, but not before pausing to give Luigi a quick "thanks." Luigi sighed and then resumed his trek to the nightclub. He had almost reached it when a familiar voice caught his attention.

"Hey-why so glum, Chum?"

"Daisy!"

"Who else?" she replied. "I've been looking for you—well, Mario was; he was wondering why you haven't shown up for dinner. I told him I'd find you; thanks for making my job easy for me!"

Luigi smiled, but then his smile faded as he realized something.

"…Was Mario really worried about me?"

Daisy's smile faded, as well.

"Well… After what happened to you at Dracula's Castle, can you blame him?" she asked. "I've gotta say, I've never seen Mario like that before—when he thought he'd lost you for good, I mean. And, yeah, he was pretty worried when I left him; Peach is trying to reassure him that you're okay. Where were you, anyway?"

"I'll explain in a moment; there's something I need to tell Mario and the rest of you, too…" Luigi said. "Is Mario back at the nightclub?"

"Yep, but he's probably going to start looking for you in a minute…"

The two of them hurried back to the nightclub, stepping inside. Luigi looked around; he could see Snake and Bayonetta having drinks at a table while the Wii Fit Trainer looked at the alcohol in disapproval. On the dance floor, Chrom was dancing with Robin, and Corrin with Ryu; Richter Belmont was attempting to ask Samus for a dance, but didn't seem to be able to work up the nerve.

Luigi found his brother with Peach at a table at the other end of the club; Daisy waved at them to get their attention, but Mario was too lost in worried thoughts—he tapped the table with his fingers nervously, and a worried expression filled his eyes that not even Peach's words could assuage.

Peach finally noticed Daisy and saw Luigi, and she eagerly pointed this out to Mario.

Mario's expression finally brightened, and he clearly sighed in relief as Luigi and Daisy joined them.

"Where have you been, Luigi!?" he asked, the tension not having left his voice yet.

Luigi blinked in surprise at his tone of voice.

"Doc Louis asked me if I could train with Little Mac for a bit," he explained. "I probably should have let you know…"

Mario sighed.

"It's fine," he said. "I'm just glad you're okay. Have you eaten dinner yet?"

"Not yet," Luigi said.

"Oh, I'll go order something for us!" Mario said, looking much more chipper now. "Anyone else want anything?"

"I'll have a watercress sandwich and a side salad, please," Peach said.

"And I'll have some tempura—just don't let Wii Fit Trainer see," Daisy said. "I'm gonna go catch up with Zelda real quick; I'll be back when the food gets here."

She and Mario both got up from the table, and Luigi sighed to himself.

"What's wrong?" Peach asked.

"There's something I need to tell Mario—all of you, really," he said. "But I don't want him to start worrying again."

"You've noticed it, too, haven't you?" Peach asked, quietly.

Luigi nodded.

"Ever since I… died and came back at Dracula's Castle, he's tried to put it behind him, but he's still so worried," Luigi sighed. "I guess I shouldn't have expected him to get over it so quickly."

"I know," Peach said. "I saw how broken he was when he found you lying there. He's really terrified of losing you again, Luigi—even if he won't say it outright."

"I know how he feels," Luigi assured her. "After all, we found him when Ridley…" He shuddered; he couldn't even finish the thought.

"I don't know if you realize just how anxious he was today—even when there was no reason to suspect you were in danger, he was still terrified that something was going to go wrong," Peach said. "He was acting just like…"

"…Like me?" Luigi finished.

The princess went slightly red.

"I didn't mean-"

"No, it's okay," Luigi said. "I know I'm a nervous wreck; I'm just not used to seeing Mario like that, too."

"It's really affecting him," Peach said. "It's even affecting his performance in the tournament."

Luigi blinked.

"But he won against Incineroar this morning!"

"You saw how that match went," Peach replied. "You saw that Incineroar got the Smash Ball."

"And Mario took the hit and countered with his Final Smash—that was how he won," Luigi recalled.

"That's just it, Luigi," Peach said. "You know how aggressively Mario usually fights in these matches. How many times have we given him a hard time because he nearly knocked himself out trying to get the Smash Ball first?"

"…More times than I can count," Luigi realized.

"Exactly; he let Incinceroar get the Smash Ball and focused on surviving the attack rather than trying to outspeed and attack like he usually does," Peach said. "Mario was playing defensively the entire match—and he's _never_ done that before." She sighed. "While we were waiting for Daisy to find you, I even asked him to dance, but his heart just wasn't in it. And if it isn't you, then he's sticking to me like glue, even though nothing's happened to me yet this time. This has affected him a lot more than you think."

Luigi blinked.

"Is he… Do you think he'll be back to normal soon?"

"I hope so," Peach said. "Maybe if we can get through the rest of this tournament without anything else happening, he'll loosen up when we get back to the Mushroom Kingdom. And, really, I can't blame him—so much went wrong before the tournament even started, and I'd be lying if I said that I hadn't been affected by it, either. In fact, I'd say that I'm one more disaster away from becoming a nervous wreck myself!"

Luigi blinked, his mind going back to the Absol he had seen, and the significance of its presence.

"…Oh boy…" he groaned.

"What is it?" Peach asked.

"It's what I wanted to warn Mario and everyone about…" he said. Peach prompted him with a nod, and Luigi launched into an explanation of the Absol. Peach's expression grew grim, and she nodded.

"There's been no word from Mewtwo?"

"Not yet," Luigi said. "Do you think I should tell Mario?"

"Of course you should," Peach said. "He deserves to know the truth; you wouldn't want him to have kept something like this from you, right?"

"Right," Luigi admitted. "…Are you okay?"

"Well, let's see if Mewtwo has any news for us first," Peach said. She managed a wan smile. "You know, one thing I've always admired about you and Mario is that you're honest about what you're thinking. And as much as I'd like to be that way, too, I can't—being a princess, a stateswoman… People will be looking at me for guidance, and I can't let any of my doubts and fears slip through. But I'm only human; I can only take so much." She sighed. "Which is why I really hope there is no disaster, because what I said is probably true-if anything else does happen, everyone might see a side of me that I'm not proud to show."

Luigi blinked.

"You can always tell Mario," he said.

"I know," she said. "I've told Mario things that no one else will ever know. I trust him—just like I trust you and Daisy."

Luigi nodded. He fought back the urge to say something sappy—like how he had come to see Peach like a sister after all this time, and how a part of him hoped that she could one day be his sister-in-law. That wasn't up to him, of course—it was up to her and Mario, and Luigi would accept whatever they eventually decided.

Mario now returned with the food, and Daisy rejoined them as they all dug in. Mario was in such a significantly better mood that Luigi really didn't want to break the news, but he knew he had to.

"Mario…" he said. "After I finished sparring with Little Mac, I saw something by the cliff on the way back…"

Mario and Daisy listened, the both of them growing concerned.

"We need to warn the others that something is coming," Luigi finished.

Mario, who had gone slightly pale, nodded.

"You're right, Little Bro," he said. "And whatever it is, we'll need to prepare—but first, we have to get everyone's attention…" He looked around at the others in the nightclub, their minds all elsewhere.

"I got this," Daisy said, and she stood up on the table and yelled at the top of her voice. "YO! LISTEN UP!"

The entire place went completely silent, and Daisy now indicated to the brothers to continue.

They were both in the middle of explaining the significance of the Absol when Mewtwo now teleported in to the nightclub—and he brought the young fighters, Little Mac, Bowser, and Junior along with him.

"They can't be in here…" a slightly tipsy Snake began, pointing to the kids, but he trailed off as Mewtwo glared at him.

"What's going on!?" Bowser demanded. "I'm trying to get Junior to sleep!"

" _This is far more important_ ," Mewtwo chided, telepathically. " _I have spoken with the Absol Luigi saw by the cliffside. The disaster he has foreseen is a very serious one—tomorrow, at dawn, we will be attacked by a powerful and violent monstrosity by the cliffside. This creature will seek to destroy all of us—and then spread pain and further destruction across time and space. This thing… it is far stronger than anything we've faced; its victory is guaranteed_."

Zelda shook her head.

"We cannot allow that to happen," she said.

"And we won't!" Pit said. "We outnumber that thing, whatever it is and however strong it may be, right? All we need is someone to lead the charge, and we've got this! And I know just the guy!" He turned to Mario with a grin—it was no secret that Pit idolized the older plumber. "Mario will lead us to victory, just like always!"

To Luigi's shock, Mario paled as the other fighters now nodded and clapped in agreement; ordinarily, Mario would have enthusiastically accepted their praise and the role as leader, but now…

Mario glanced at his brother and at Peach with an anxious expression that Luigi knew all too well—for it was one that he usually had.

"I… I can't accept," he said, turning back to Pit.

"Wha…?" the angel asked, floored. The other fighters looked just as stunned—especially Bowser, who was now smacking himself on the ear to make sure he wasn't hearing things. "Mario, what are you saying? You've always led us to victory-"

"I… I feel like I've been off my game ever since…" His gaze flickered to Luigi for a moment, and he left the thought unfinished. "…I don't feel like I'd be able to make the right choices this time. I'll fight alongside all of you, but… I'm not ready to lead again. I'm sorry, Pit."

Luigi's heart sunk; Mario's crisis of confidence was worse than he'd thought, and it was absolutely because of what had happened at Dracula's Castle. Peach, as well, was looking at Mario with an expression of sympathy.

"Well, if you don't think you can, we won't force you," Pit said, though he was clearly disappointed. "But we still need someone to lead the charge."

"I'll do it," Fox offered. "Just leave it to me."

"We're all behind you," Zelda said, with a nod.

"So what now? Do we just continue training the rest of the night in preparation for this thing?" Lucina asked.

"No," Peach said, shaking her head. "We've prepared as well as we can for this tournament—honestly, I think the best thing we can do to prepare ourselves for tomorrow is to conserve our strength, and… spend some time with those we care about." She looked to Pauline, who had stopped singing the moment Mewtwo had shown up. "Pauline, keep singing, please—we need to keep our morale up. And who knows—maybe tomorrow, you'll be singing a victory song for us…!"

There wasn't enough confidence in her voice, either; Mewtwo had painted a grim picture—and, indeed, why would Absol have been crying if he had sensed a victory in spite of it all?

The fighters now began to disperse; the Koopalings were following Bowser and Junior back to the mansion without even being told. Young Link left, clutching the Ocarina of Time, clearing having flashbacks to what happened in Termina. The Pokémon not belonging to any trainers wandered off together, though Pikachu left with Samus. Most of the adult fighters, however, stayed in the nightclub and began to order drinks; Snake, in particular, threw back another bourbon and began to call up his friends and allies on his communicator.

And Mario looked at his brother.

"Little Bro… I'm sorry," he said.

"Don't be," Luigi said. "If anyone knows what it's like to be afraid, it's me."

"I don't know how you can stand it; I hate this. I hate being afraid…!" Mario trailed off with a sigh, and Luigi placed a hand on his shoulder. "But you know I'm going to do my best to protect you tomorrow…" He looked to the princesses. "All of you."

The girls nodded; they, too, would do their best, in spite of how bleak things looked.

Pauline was now singing again, though there was a definite nervousness in her voice. Peach sighed, and then took Mario by the hand.

"Mario, will you dance with me?"

The older plumber blinked.

"Do you think this is a good idea now?"

"Especially now," Peach said, with a firm nod.

Mario gazed into her eyes and understood.

"Peach, I-"

"I know," she whispered. "And I do, too."

They both managed wan smiles and danced off across the floor together.

Daisy sighed and sat down next to Luigi.

"Slow dancing isn't my thing," she said. "But they're both so good at it."

"Mm-hmm," Luigi said. "Makes me wish…" He trailed off. Was one more night all they really had left?

"Hey, we're not dead yet," Daisy said. "Look, I'm in no hurry for it to end, but… no matter what happens, we'll be together—all of us. Either we'll win, or we'll see each other on the other side."

Luigi blinked. Yes, that was true—he knew from experience that there was an afterlife; the end would not separate them. No matter what, they would be together.

For now, however, he would watch Mario and Peach dance together, hoping that there was a chance that it would not be the end.


End file.
